James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Monday, October 22, 2012

On Saturday I was sketching at the corner of West Eager Street and Park Avenue in Baltimore, when I noticed a woman crossing the street toward me, walking her dog.

There was something strange about the dog. At first I thought she had electric lights instead of eyes, because her eyes seemed to be glowing.

She was a Corgi mix, and she moved slowly and stiffly on her short legs. When the dog reached the curb, the owner shortened the leash. The dog leaned forward, touching her nose to the curb, and then she gingerly lifted her paw and climbed the curb. She sniffed around near my chair.

The dog was completely blind with cataracts. The owner was patiently guiding her on her morning walk.

The dog's name was Baby Doll. She was more than twelve years old. She did just fine with her hearing and her sense of smell. She found a crust of bread and started munching it. "Get that out of your mouth, Baby Doll," the owner said.

"She knows her way around my house. But I've got to make sure I don't leave anything out of place, or she'll bump into it."
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Previously: Old Dog Silver

Beautiful painting! I'm once again inspired; this time, to do more plein air painting. I'm dreadfully out of practice. Lovely dog story. We used to have a dog who went blind about halfway through her life. Luckily for her, she had a doggie companion, who, at the vet's suggestion, wore a bell on her collar. It worked like a charm!

Sajib, that's looking south from the corner of West Eager Street and Park Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland. The steeples of the First Presbyterian church are in the background. They're quite tall in real life but I made them seem bigger by introducing a bit of atmosphere.

Thanks, EnB and NYStudios!

Janet, loved your story. I've heard of animals that are service animals to other species.

Anonymous1, the video is just about done being edited, but I got launched into other projects. I've also been producing other art videos. My goal is to finish them all up around the same time so I can launch several, not just one. Thanks for your patience.

Anonymous2, what inspired the flock of birds was watching a flock of pigeons playfully circling a skyscraper tower over and over again earlier that morning.

Love the watercolor, a perfect balance of colors, warm and cools and design.Love the story too...We had a one eyed dog when we were kids, Honey, named for her honey colored spots on her white fur.She was a mutt, mutts are the best.

James, Opal was the blind dog and Sydney was her companion. Sydney took her job very seriously, and would always go ahead of Opal whenever they were headed out to the back yard, and would even stop and wait for her if Opal was lagging behind. Syd seemed to know that Opal needed her.